Falling Free

Leo Graf was just your average highly efficient engineer: mind your own business, fix what's wrong, and move on to the next job. But all that changed on his assignment to the Cay Habitat, where a group of humanoids had been secretly, commercially bioengineered for working in free fall. Could he just stand there and allow the exploitation of hundreds of helpless children merely to enhance the bottom line of a heartless mega-corporation?

The Curse of Chalion

Amidst the decaying splendor and poisonous intrigue of Chalion's ancient capital, Cazaril is forced to confront not only powerful enemies but also the malignant curse that clings to the royal household, trapping him, flesh and soul, in a maze of demonic paradox, damnation, and death for as long as he dares walk the five-fold pathway of the gods.

The Sharing Knife, Volume 1: Beguilement

Young, pregnant Fawn Bluefield has just fled her family's farm to the city of Glassforge, where she encounters a patrol of the enigmatic soldier-sorcerers known as Lakewalkers. Fawn has heard stories about the Lakewalkers, who are wandering necromancers with no permanent homes and no possessions except the clothes they wear and the mysterious knives they carry. What she does not know is that the Lakewalkers are engaged in a perilous campaign against inhuman and immortal magical entities known as "malices".

At the Sign of Triumph: Safehold, Book 9

The Church of God Awaiting's triumph over Charis was inevitable. Despite its prosperity, the Charis was a single, small island realm. It boasted less than two percent of the total population of Safehold. How could it possibly resist total destruction? The Church had every reason to be confident of a swift, crushing victory, an object lesson to other rebels.

Metal Boxes - At the Edge

Ensign Stone's goals were to make his way in the Empire's navy, make his family proud of him, and make love to his fiancée. No matter which way he turned, someone was conspiring against him. Disgraced and humiliated, he is court-martialed, discharged, and abandoned. Accepting what he thinks is a lowly busy-work position on a beat up old family business space freighter travelling at the edge of human space, he hopes to earn back the trust and respect he lost.

The Spirit Ring

Fiametta Beneforte dreamed of making beautiful and enchanted objets d'art, but alas her magician-goldsmith father was more likely to have her scrub the kiln than study magic. After all, it was a waste to train a mere daughter beyond the needs of the moment.... Thur Ochs dreamed of escaping the icy mines of Bruinwald. But the letter from his brother Uri arranging his apprenticeship to Master Beneforte was not the only force that drew him over the mountains to the Duchy of Montefoglia.

Shadow of Victory

Sometimes things don't work out exactly as planned. The Mesan Alignment has a plan - one it's been working on for centuries. A plan to remake the galaxy and genetically improve the human race - its way. Until recently things have gone pretty much as scheduled, but then the Alignment hit a minor bump in the road called the Star Empire of Manticore. So the Alignment engineered a war between the Solarian League, the biggest and most formidable interstellar power in human history.

Bold: Kris Longknife, Book 14

Despite her role as a fleet admiral and protector of a planetary system, Kris is still beholden to her great-grandfather King Raymond's commands. She has been personally selected for a mission that will, should she succeed, save millions of lives. The Peterwald Empire is in the midst of civil war. On one side is the tyrannical empress; on the other is the last person Kris ever wants to see again: Grand Duchess Vicky Peterwald. Due to their shared history, the emperor believes Kris can mediate between the factions and bring about peace.

Proto Zoa: Five Early Short Stories

Protozoa is a word from biology via the Greek, meaning "first animals". These short stories were indeed among the first life spontaneously generated in Lois McMaster Bujold's nascent writing career. Along with an introduction by the author, this collection features the short stories "Barter", "Garage Sale", "The Hole Truth", "Dreamweaver's Dilemma", and "Aftermaths".

Penric and the Shaman: The Penric & Desdemona Series, Book 2

In this novella set in the World of the Five Gods and four years after the events in Penric's Demon, Penric is a divine of the Bastard's Order as well as a sorcerer and scholar, living in the palace where the Princess-Archdivine holds court. His scholarly work is interrupted when the Archdivine agrees to send Penric, in his role as sorcerer, to accompany a "Locator" of the Father's Order, assigned to capture Inglis, a runaway shaman charged with the murder of his best friend.

We Are Legion (We Are Bob): Bobiverse, Book 1

Bob Johansson has just sold his software company and is looking forward to a life of leisure. There are places to go, books to read, and movies to watch. So it's a little unfair when he gets himself killed crossing the street. Bob wakes up a century later to find that corpsicles have been declared to be without rights, and he is now the property of the state. He has been uploaded into computer hardware and is slated to be the controlling AI in an interstellar probe looking for habitable planets.

Alliance of Equals: Liaden Universe: Arc of the Covenants, Book 2

Beset by the angry remnants of the Department of the Interior, challenged at every turn by opportunists on their new homeworld of Surebleak, and somewhat low on funds, Clan Korval desperately needs to reestablish its position as one of the top trading clans in known space. To this end, Master Trader Shan yos'Galan, aboard Korval's premier trade ship, Dutiful Passage, is on a mission to establish new business associations and to build a strong primary route that links well with existing Loops and secondary routes.

Closer to the Chest: The Herald Spy, Book Three

Herald Mags, the King of Valdemar's Herald-Spy, has been developing a clandestine network of young informants who operate not only on the streets of the capital city of Haven but also in the Great Halls and kitchens of the wealthy and highborn. In his own established alternate personas, Mags observes the Court and the alleys alike, quietly gathering information to keep Haven and the Kingdom safe.

Owner's Share: Trader's Tales from the Golden Age of the Solar Clipper, Book 6

When Diurnia Salvage and Transport undergoes a change in management, Captain Ishmael Horatio Wang finds himself adrift in a sea of red ink and intrigue. He dives in only to find that he is over his head in a universe where cutthroat competition takes on an all new meaning. What tragic price will Captain Wang pay for his Owner's Share?

New Contract: Perimeter Defense Series, Book 3

The enemy's at the gate, the situation getting worse by the second, and Ruslan's employer hasn't done a good job (to put it mildly) of securing his successes. Now the star system Unatari is under threat from the Aliens. It's high time Ruslan came back in order to rescue everything he holds dear from imminent destruction and save Perimeter Defense - the game that has become his life.

Rusty Hinges: Metal Boxes, Book 3

Stone's fist, secure in the combat suit and hidden by camouflage, impacted the Hyrocanian mouth before it closed around the baby. Stone grabbed the helpless piglet with his free hand and tossed it to a startled female. The piglet, the last of her kind on the delivery shuttle, grabbed the baby and ran. Stone twisted his fist, trying his best to break every tooth in the Hyrocanian's mouth. Suddenly, his fist broke free from the shattered teeth. Opening his fist, he felt something soft and squishy at the back of the alien's throat.

Valor's Choice

In the distant future, humans and several other races have been granted membership in the Confederation - at a price. They must act as soldier/protectors of the far more civilized races who have long since turned away from war.

Magic Binds: Kate Daniels, Book 9

Mercenary Kate Daniels knows all too well that magic in post-Shift Atlanta is a dangerous business. But nothing she's faced could have prepared her for this.... Kate and the former Beast Lord Curran Lennart are finally making their relationship official. But there are some steep obstacles standing in the way of their walk to the altar.... Kate's father, Roland, has kidnapped the demigod Saiman and is slowly bleeding him dry in his never-ending bid for power.

Star Nomad: Fallen Empire, Book 1

The Alliance has toppled the tyrannical empire. It should be a time for celebration, but not for fighter pilot Captain Alisa Marchenko. After barely surviving a crash in the final battle for freedom, she's stranded on a dustball of a planet, billions of miles from her young daughter. She has no money or resources, and there are no transports heading to Perun, her former home and the last imperial stronghold. But she has a plan.

Alien Arcana: Starship's Mage Series, Book 4

When a scientist is murdered after finding signs of alien magic in an archeological dig, Mage Damien Montgomery, Hand of the Mage-King of Mars, is sent to investigate both the murder and the alien runes. His investigation is interrupted when a mysterious ship attacks the ruins with weapons only available to the Martian Navy. Despite saving the dig site, Montgomery is left with more questions than answers.

On Basilisk Station: Honor Harrington, Book 1

Honor Harrington has been exiled to Basilisk station and given an antique ship to police the system. The vindictive superior who sent her there wants her to fail. But he made one mistake: he's made her mad....

Foreigner: Foreigner Sequence 1, Book 1

The first book in C.J.Cherryh's eponymous series, Foreigner begins an epic tale of the survivors of a lost spacecraft who crash-land on a planet inhabited by a hostile, sentient alien race. From its beginnings as a human-alien story of first contact, the Foreigner series has become a true science fiction odyssey, following a civilization from the age of steam through early space flight to confrontations with other alien species in distant sectors of space. It is the masterwork of a truly remarkable author.

The Purloined Poodle

Thanks to his relationship with the ancient Druid Atticus O'Sullivan, Oberon the Irish wolfhound knows trouble when he smells it - and furthermore, he knows he can handle it. When he discovers that a prizewinning poodle has been abducted in Eugene, Oregon, he learns that it's part of a rash of hound abductions all over the Pacific Northwest. Since the police aren't too worried about dogs they assume have run away, Oberon knows it's up to him to track down those hounds and reunite them with their humans. For justice! And gravy!

Once Broken Faith: October Daye, Book 10

Politics have never been October "Toby" Daye's strong suit. When she traveled to the Kingdom of Silences to prevent them from going to war with her home, the Kingdom of the Mists, she wasn't expecting to return with a cure for elf-shot and a whole new set of political headaches. Now the events she unwittingly set in motion could change the balance of modern Faerie forever, and she has been ordered to appear before a historic convocation of monarchs. Naturally, things have barely gotten underway when the first dead body shows up.

Publisher's Summary

This Hugo-nominated novella adds a delightful extra chapter to Bujold's acclaimed Vorkosigan series. Falling in between the novels A Civil Campaign and Diplomatic Immunity, it describes the wedding of Miles and Ekaterin and the events leading up to it.

In the festive season of Winterfair on the planet Barrayar, Lord Miles Vorkosigan is making elaborate preparations for his wedding. The long-awaited event stirs up romance and intrigue among his eccentric family and friends, particularly for bioengineered space mercenary Sergeant Taura and shy, diffident Armsman Roic. But Miles also has an enemy who is plotting to turn the romantic ceremony into a festival of death.

Winterfair Gifts offers another of Bujold's witty, character-centered science-fiction plots with a twist of romance.

I had read two of Lois McMaster Bujold books over the years but nothing containing Miles himself. I have really enjoyed these audio books they make the miles fly. I found the narator easy to listen to, he changed for each character but not to such an extreme as to be unplesant to listen to. The reading was nice and smooth, without putting you to sleep.

A short story about Miles and Ekaterin's wedding. It's told from Armsman Roic's view and was kind of refreshing to see things from his prospective. . Very sweet episode with Taura, too! If you read the series, I would definitely recommend adding this short story to your collection. It also give you better understanding of Roic before you read Cryoburn!

This book was truly a delight. In addition to the wonderful wedding saga of the lead characters, Miles & Ekaterin, you get a lot of insight into the characters of TAURA and Mile's new armsman, ROIC. I found myself laughing & crying almost at the same time while reading & re-reading the sections between Taura & Roic.

Kudos to Bujold & Gardner for this off-the-normal Vorkosigan Adventure.

This was an excellently made novella. Considering I am not a huge fan of short stories that is a big compliment. This a telling of Miles life through the perspective of Armsman Roic. After having read the last 9 books from Miles viewpoint having a short side track for a few hours from another characters perspective was interesting. This is a great treat for a fan of the series.

I have listened to all the Vorkosigan series books that are out on Audible, even the ones I have already read before...multiple times. Maybe I'm obsessed. I need more Miles. Grover Gardner narrates this whole series perfectly - he is wonderful! Start with this if you like to get a taste of the series (and if you don't mind spoilers) but I recommend starting from the beginning with The Warrior's Apprentice and working through them from there. I'd like to see Shards of Honor and Barrayar on Audible as well.

Lois... Please, please, please...
Bring us more Miles.
This is my favorite series, and I have heard them all more than once. Most are on Audible, but keep them comming.
There are not many books with this mix of action, emotion, and humor. Great Characters that are very memorable from book to book.

This story wrapped up the Miles wedding story arc. But in this universe nothing runs easily.

What did you like best about this story?

I am a huge fan Lois McMaster Bujold's work most notably the Miles VorKosigan saga but I had missed this story for a number of years. I was delighted to find there was actually a story devoted to the wedding.

If you’re a fan of Lois McMaster Bujold’s Vorkosigan series then this extra addition will not disappoint. A short story detailing Miles’s wedding, the audio reading meant that what might have been a quick snack turned into a delightful feast of an experience. For fans this is excellent fare from Bujold as usual. Newcomers might want to try Bujold’s earlier titles first. Excellent.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Jane

Sheffield, United Kingdom

8/5/10

Overall

"A good short story"

This is a short story (but then, it's cheap too). It's a good glimpse into some much-loved characters. It's certainly not where I would choose to start listening to the series, but for someone who has read everything else in the Vorkosigan series, it's certainly worth a listen.
Also I too disagree about the narration (while accepting that everyone has a right for preferences in such matters). For me, Grover Gardner is a superb reader of the novels - dry, witty and understated. I love to read the books and then a bit later listen them to them too - it's a completely different, but equally wonderful, experience.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Annie

Basingstoke, United Kingdom

10/1/09

Overall

"Great Series Great Narration"

As an avid Vorkosigan fan having all the books from Audible, I disagree with the previous reviewer's comments on the narration. Grover Gardner's narration of the series is superb. His narration effortlessly captures Miles' mannerisms, his wit, intrigue and the inevitable 'forward momentum'. Can't wait for 'Barrayar', available November this year, and hopefully 'CryoBurn' the latest in the saga, November 2010. My personal preference is to listen to Grover Gardner than to read them myself.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Dee Watcher

England

5/30/09

Overall

"Poor Narrator"

An enjoyable short story spoilt by a poor narrator. He has an intrusive american accent and seems unable to pronounce certain words. He was bad enough to stop me from buying any more audio books by this author.

I'll stick to the written word for this author in future. Its a shame as I love her work and would love to be able to listen to the stories on long car journeys.

2 of 3 people found this review helpful

Charlie

High Wycombe, United Kingdom

10/28/16

Overall

Performance

Story

"Nothing wrong with it."

If you've enjoyed the rest of the series then you'll enjoy this one too.It suffers from the same issue many shirt stories set in established world's do, that there isn't enough time to give all the relevant back story. Vorkosigan veterans will have no problems, though.

0 of 0 people found this review helpful

Report Inappropriate Content

If you find this review inappropriate and think it should be removed from our site, let us know. This report will be reviewed by Audible and we will take appropriate action.